Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Elbows folded into a smooth béchamel cheese sauce made with Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar, with an optional buttery crumb top browned under the broiler.
A flour-and-milk sauce over macaroni is an old English idea: Elizabeth Raffald's 1769 recipe already coated macaroni in a cream sauce and topped it with Parmesan (Wikipedia, citing Raffald:). For many American cooks this is still what mac and cheese means. Allison Arevalo, who co-founded Homeroom, an Oakland restaurant that served 12 kinds of mac and cheese, told the Gastropod podcast that to her it is a specific dish: béchamel, cheese and elbow macaroni (transcript, 2018:). America's Test Kitchen's classic version keeps that sauce creamy by finishing the dish on the stove and browning only the crumbs.
🇺🇸 This one is American
Elbows folded into a smooth béchamel cheese sauce made with Monterey Jack and sharp cheddar, with an optional buttery crumb top browned under the broiler.
🇺🇸 The original
The oldest American recipe we could read, from 1824, is simple: boiled macaroni layered with butter and grated cheese and baked until it browns. No cheese sauce, no box. See the Virginia House-Wife Baked Macaroni (1824) recipe.
Why it works the kitchen science
Finish on the stove
Heating the pasta in the sauce on the burner instead of baking it for half an hour keeps the sauce loose and creamy; only the crumbs see the broiler (ATK).
Two cheeses, two jobs
Monterey Jack melts smoothly and sharp cheddar brings flavor, and adding them off the heat keeps the sauce from turning grainy or greasy (ATK; Serious Eats).
Step by step
- Step 1
If using the crumb top, set an oven rack in the lower-middle position and heat the broiler. Pulse the bread and chilled butter in a food processor until coarsely ground, 7 to 10 pulses, and set aside.
- Step 2
Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add the macaroni and 1 tbsp salt and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Step 3
Melt the 5 tbsp butter in the empty pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, dry mustard, cayenne and 1 tsp salt and cook, whisking, 1 minute.
- Step 4
Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium and cook, whisking now and then, about 5 minutes, until it thickens to the consistency of heavy cream.
- Step 5
Off the heat, whisk in the Jack and cheddar until fully melted. Don't let the sauce boil once the cheese is in.
- Step 6
Add the macaroni and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes. Serve now for the creamiest result.
- Step 7
Or pour it into a 13 by 9-inch broiler-safe dish, scatter the crumbs over the top and broil 3 to 5 minutes, turning the dish if needed, until deep golden. Rest 5 minutes and serve.
Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
Serves 6 (6 to 8 as a main, 10 to 12 as a side) · about 10 cups · 45 min total
Crumb top (optional)
- 3 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and chilled
Macaroni
- 1 lb elbow macaroni
- 1 tbsp table salt, for the water
Cheese sauce
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp table salt
- 5 cups whole milk
- 8 oz Monterey Jack, shredded (2 cups)
- 8 oz sharp cheddar, shredded (2 cups)
Method
- If using the crumb top, set an oven rack in the lower-middle position and heat the broiler. Pulse the bread and chilled butter in a food processor until coarsely ground, 7 to 10 pulses, and set aside.
- Bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add the macaroni and 1 tbsp salt and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Melt the 5 tbsp butter in the empty pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour, dry mustard, cayenne and 1 tsp salt and cook, whisking, 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Bring to a boil, then lower to medium and cook, whisking now and then, about 5 minutes, until it thickens to the consistency of heavy cream.
- Off the heat, whisk in the Jack and cheddar until fully melted. Don't let the sauce boil once the cheese is in.
- Add the macaroni and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until steaming and heated through, about 6 minutes. Serve now for the creamiest result.
- Or pour it into a 13 by 9-inch broiler-safe dish, scatter the crumbs over the top and broil 3 to 5 minutes, turning the dish if needed, until deep golden. Rest 5 minutes and serve.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Classic Macaroni and Cheese" (serves 6 to 8). Amounts and times are ATK's; the broil is optional here so the dish can be served straight from the pot. The note on not boiling the sauce after the cheese goes in is from Daniel Gritzer's Classic Baked Macaroni and Cheese at Serious Eats. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
Tips
- Warm the milk first if your stove is slow; it thickens faster and lumps less.
- Leftovers thicken in the fridge. Reheat gently with a splash of milk until hot (165°F).
- Serious Eats' Daniel Gritzer stirs a little grated Gruyère in at the end for a nutty edge.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Béchamel is the "real" mac and cheese. Disputed: Arevalo defines it that way (Gastropod); Southern and Caribbean cooks set theirs with eggs and evaporated milk (our Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Trinidad Macaroni Pie and Barbados Macaroni Pie recipes).
- Baked or stovetop. Folklore: both are old. Randolph baked hers in 1824; this ATK version is stovetop with an optional broil.
- Dry mustard is a secret ingredient. Folklore with expert support: ATK and Serious Eats both add it for a sharper cheese flavor; it is not a historical requirement.
Every other mac and cheese
Virginia House-Wife Baked Macaroni (1824)
The earliest known printed American mac and cheese: macaroni boiled in milk and water, layered with sliced cheese and butter, and baked in a hot oven.
Älplermagronen (Swiss Alpine Macaroni)
Macaroni and potatoes boiled together, layered with grated Alpine cheese and a little cream, crowned with crispy onions and eaten with warm applesauce.
Southern Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Layers of elbow macaroni, cheddar and Jack bound with beaten eggs, evaporated milk, sour cream and butter, then baked until it sets firm enough to cut, with a crusty, browned top.
Blue Box Style Mac and Cheese (Homemade Mix)
A homemade pantry mix of cheddar cheese powder, dry milk and mustard that turns hot elbows into bright, smooth boxed-style mac in about 15 minutes. Inspired by Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, not official.
Lobster Mac and Cheese
Fresh-cooked lobster folded into macaroni with a nutty, browned-roux cheddar sauce made with the lobster cooking liquid and a pinch of mace, finished with whole claws and herbs.
New Mexico Green Chile Mac and Cheese
Elbows baked in a tangy cheese sauce of goat cheese, fontina and aged cheddar studded with roasted New Mexico green chile, under a crunchy toasted crumb top.
Trinidad Macaroni Pie
Macaroni bound with eggs, evaporated milk and cheddar, seasoned with onion, dry mustard and a little Scotch bonnet, then baked firm under a paprika-dusted top and cut into squares.
Barbados Macaroni Pie
Tube macaroni baked firm with a lot of cheddar, evaporated milk, an egg, grated onion and the Bajan signature, ketchup and yellow mustard, under a golden cheese top.
20-Minute One-Pot Mac and Cheese
Three ingredients and one pot: elbows simmered in just enough water to cover, then turned into a silky cheddar sauce with a can of evaporated milk.
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